Andrew addresses why we do podcasts (1:15), what we learned from year one (2:20), and what we are going to bring you this year (4:25)

THE STATE OF THE PODCASTS ADDRESS:

Hello podcast listeners all around the world! This is Andrew Terrance Kaberline, Critical Point Theatre ensemble member, and CPT Broadcasting Podcast Head Honcho. Thank you, as always, for listening in.

February 14th is coming up, and you know what that means? Well, yes, Valentine’s Day, but it also marks one year of CPT Broadcasting. It’s our one year anniversary, what did you get us?

Just joking. Having you listen is a gift enough. We did get something for you though, and that’s four new episodes of our podcasts dropping simultaneously. We do it because we love you, and because we love podcasts too.

February 14th, we will have new episodes of our podcasts,
including the award-winning anthology series, The Grayscale, Sunday Night Supper, SJW, and a new show we are very excited about, The Creedence Clearwater Revival Hour.

Why Podcasts?

At Critical Point, we want to create art that pushes beyond the boundaries of storytelling, and crosses media as if we’re passing through states of matter. We want the podcasts to inform our theatrical shows, and vice versa. This year it is a goal to connect the social identities of our various projects to help you, our listeners and viewers, to experience and enjoy our work on a larger level.

What does that mean? That means you will see crossovers and tie-ins, aiming at a larger Critical Point Universe. We want the story to go beyond the stage, the recording booth, the page. We want it to continue into your homes. A great example of this work is our twitter fiction story that debuted last week revolving around The Grayscale character, the Voice Inside Your Head. We told a story about his work life using Twitter as our stage, and the story will continue sonically on The Grayscale Podcast. This is just a taste of the kind of expansion we hope to bring you.

What Did We Learn In Year One?

We learned what worked and what didn’t work. We decided to go all-in on a medium that we had no experience working in, and we learned how to adapt. The proof is in the pudding. If you don’t believe me, just go listen to our first few podcasts last year compared to our season finales. We became better mechanics, technically improving the listening experience and recording efficiency. We became better painters, gaining confidence in how to best tell a story through sound. And in a way, we became better Morticians, since some of our podcasts didn’t make it to year two.

This Is_ was the first to officially be cancelled. The show was ambitious in idea and scope, and with limitations of time, resources, and quite frankly, our understanding of how to go about doing a show like that, we were not able to reach the quality we had hoped.

Something Old, Something New has been put on hiatus. This is not a decision based on the effort of Matthew Schott, who was a wonderful showrunner. Matt did a fantastic job at tweaking the format of the show throughout its run, and the quality improved. While SOSN will be on hiatus, there is still the possibility to have special episodes released on the CPT feed throughout the year, such as Matt’s recent “year-end review” Tuesday Thoughts.

Here’s The Word has also been put on hiatus. We love poetry and we love the contributions of Matthew Kaberline. This decision is more of a result of busy work schedules and a type of show that doesn’t fit directly into the mission of Critical Point. There are talks of continuing HTW independent of CPT, and once more information is known, we will share it with you.

What We Have In Store This Year

Lots of new and original stories, all starting on February 14th. Last year, we learned how to make audio stories, this year we want to learn how to make them better.

Before, our aim was to just release as much content as possible. We are still going to release a lot of content this year, but there will be a finer focus on the quality of each episode we release.

We have four shows currently in production, and each will have their own iTunes RSS feed. We will also continue to have the overall Critical Point Theatre iTunes feed. This will include all episodes of each of our podcasts, as well as special podcast updates not under any particular show banner. I will continue to be your Head Honcho, and Chelsea Rugg will continue as Podcast Production Manager.

The Grayscale enters season 2. This season, the choice is ours, as The Voice Inside Your Head continues to investigate human behavior through an unusual lens. This season will include ten episodes, released on the first of each month. While we will bring back many of the writers and actors who made season one so special, we will continue to strive to bring at least one new voice each episode. Dylan James Amick will continue as showrunner.

Social Justice Warrior will continue where it left off in 2015, and explore culture gone viral when it comes to feminism and activism. The format of the show will continue to evolve, combining interviews, reporting, and editorial-like commentary. The show will continue with a new episode each month. Julia Katz will continue as showrunner.

Sunday Night Supper will be back, shedding the restraint of any “season” labeling, and will continue moving forward. New storytellers will be heard, new topics explored, and new formats will exist. There will be a combination of personal stories, narrative stories, and even some montages. SNS will air episodes every other Sunday. There will be roughly 20 new episodes this year, and some re-broadcasts of old episodes, with updates and new content included. I will continue as showrunner.

Creedence Clearwater Revival Hour is our newest addition. An improv-based look at the fictional town of Beavertail, Nebraska, and its kooky inhabitants, led by the always desperate Pastor Creedence Clearwater of the Revival Church, no relation to the band. Fans of shows like Comedy Bang Bang, Parks and Rec, or Welcome To Nightvale, will enjoy the humor and world-building, as every detail spoken about the town becomes canon. There will be a full episode on the first Monday of each month, and a mini-sode on the third Monday. Matthew Schott will act as showrunner.

That’s what we have in store for you all this year. Thank you for listening, and please remember to subscribe to the shows on iTunes, and tune in on February 14th to make it a happy Valentine’s Day for all!